So It Begins...
by DigimonDragonLady
Summary: The sequal to my vampire Kensuke "Eternal Damnation". This one explains Daisuke's past and events that occured right before he was changed. ^_^ This is for all of you who reviewed and liked my first story, thanks so much!


****

Disclaimer:

****

Ken: _DigimonDragonLady does not own Digimon._

****

Dragon Lady: _He's right unfortunately. Listen to the muse._

****

Ken: _So this is a continuation of your vampire fic?_

****

Dragon Lady: _That's right. _**^_^ **

Ken: _Cool. I'm still in this right?_

****

Dragon Lady: _Um…amazingly this story doesn't have much to do with you…_

****

Ken: **!!!!**

Dragon Lady: _Sorry, but Daisuke was a vampire for a century before you came, so you couldn't really have anything to do with his past now could you?_

****

Ken: _…I guess not. _

****

Dragon Lady: _I'm sorry Ken-chan. _***pats muse on the shoulder* **_I'll make it up to you in my next fic, I promise._

****

Ken: ***narrows eyes suspiciously* **_Why? What else have you done to this story?_

****

Dragon Lady: ***tugs nervously at collar* ^^; **

Ken: ***glares* **_What did you do?!_

****

Dragon Lady: _Um…I guess you'll just have to read and find out…_

****

Ken: _I don't like the sound of that…_

****

Dragon Lady: _Oh yeah, and I want to send out a special thanks to Dragonflie and all my other loyal reviewers! Thank you so much!! For everyone reading, this story is a sequel to my first vampire Kensuke **"Eternal Damnation"**, so you're welcome to read this even if you haven't read the first, but it might not make a whole lot of since in the very beginning if you do. _

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**So It Begins…**

By: DigimonDragonLady

How to start this complex tale? Where to begin? I suppose I should start out by saying that it's been a year since Ken and I have been together now. Ken is murmuring that it hasn't been long enough for him. He's here with me now, reading over my shoulder and absorbing every word that I type. Ken is always close to me, not that I really mind, but sometimes I joke about it and tell him that if I had wanted an inseparable, black shadow I would have just gotten myself a dog. 

Ken is my pride and my shame. I love him more than anything in the world, but I hate knowing that it shouldn't have been this way, that things should have been different…for both of us. And not for the first time I curse the evil that caused this. But I do have to give Ken some credit, he's adjusted to his change very well, it took me a long time to get over mine, and even then there are still days when I am continuously brooding over it.

Ken's always telling me that he isn't sorry for his new life, he hates that there is always something infinitely sad in my eyes every time that I look at him, but he knows that I don't believe him. Its been a living hell for me. Or maybe I should say an unloving hell…

Ken hates it when I talk this way and fall into one of my "states of total depression" as he puts it, but I can't help it when I know what I'm about to write. I can feel his strong hands reassuringly rub my stiff shoulders and tease them into relaxation, with that accomplished he runs his finger tips lightly down my arms. He briefly caresses my chest before draping the upper half of his body over the back of the office chair and myself. His shoulder length, raven black hair sweeps forward over his face, gently teasing my skin as he trails soft, seductive kisses down my neck and works his skilled hands lower down my body…

Okay…okay, that's enough now. I rebuff Ken's advances and he pouts in that childishly cute way of his. As much as I love being with him…Tonight there will be no distractions. I am bound and determined to finish this tale before the dawn comes.

It was Ken who first brought it to my attention the previous night that I had never explained to him the events that brought about my own change and my transformation into one of the undead. It hurts to think about it, but its unavoidable, this is something that must be known. I make it a priority to write and record a story record of all my vampire cases, so I suppose its only fair that I disclose my own. Maybe after hearing my story you will understand why I so mourn Ken's change. So it begins…

* * *

I was taking a basic law course at the University of Manhattan while at the same time studying as an assistant under an investigator on the Manhattan police force. It wasn't easy keeping up with my job and my studies, but somehow I always managed to cope. The job didn't pay much because I was only in training and not much use to the department of yet, but what little money I did get out of it went towards my classes and to paying for my small, closet-sized apartment. I didn't have cash for many extra luxuries, I ate when I could afford to, my "bed" wasn't more than a mattress on the hardwood floor; shabby was my life.

It was early evening, but the sun had already shed the last of its golden rays before sinking down into the horizon and surrendering itself to the coming night. There was a cool breeze that swept along the street, blowing the days discarded newspapers across the dingy, gray sidewalks. I was on my way home to my apartment from the University, wondering how I could dodge the eviction I was sure was coming as I hadn't paid the rent for several months, when I heard a voice shouting my name.

My heart leapt up into my throat as I spun around to see Takeru Takaishi speeding towards me. "Hey Daisuke," he panted when he reached me.

"Hello Takeru," I responded, friendly enough, but my voice came out sounding gruff and harsh; it must be the job that makes me like that. It didn't seem to bother Takeru though, maybe he realized that it was just in my nature.

"I was on my way to visit Taichi and Hikari and then I saw you walking along. I thought maybe I should invite you to come with me, we haven't seen a lot of you lately…"

That was true, I hadn't had a lot of time for my friends for the last few weeks. Regretfully it was still true now. I sighed. "I'm really sorry Takeru, as much as I'd love to go with you I have to hit the books tonight."

"Oh…well that's okay…" he didn't seem to be able to keep the disappointment out of his voice. "What are you doing on this side of town anyway?" he asked taking a look around us at the crumbling buildings with their paint peeling and the windows all filmed over with dust and grime. Welcome to my life Takeru I thought bitterly. "Are you on an errand for work or something? No offense but this place scares me…"

"Yeah, it scares me too, and I'm the one that lives here. You get used to it though. I did."

He blinked and took another look at the surrounding area. "You live here? Oh, I didn't know…but these apartments aren't much bigger than matchboxes…I mean…sorry."

"That's all right," I shrugged casually. I had never told my friends where I lived or explained about my living conditions. They were better off than me, having come from more money, but I didn't have any family left to turn to. "I just can't afford any more than this on the salary I make now." I can imagine the far away look my eyes must have gotten just then. "Someday though, I'll be a real private investigator. Someday…"

"Of course you will Daisuke, you'll be the greatest." Takeru smiled that heart warming smile of his and I could almost feel myself melt into a puddle of slush on the street. I was certainly glad of my dark, tanned skin at that moment as it concealed my blush nicely. Takeru had real faith in me; and it wasn't just Takeru that did, all my friends were very supportive, but Takeru's faith really meant a great deal to me.

I think that's what I loved best about Takeru, his innocent, child-like faith and hope for the best. I don't think there has ever been a single moment in his life that Takeru has ever lost his hope.

I have a really good group of friends. I hung out with Taichi, Takeru, Yamato, who was Takeru's brother, and Hikari, sister of Taichi. But it was mainly Takeru and Hikari with whom I was always with. Everyone, including Hikari herself, thought I was head over heels in love with her. But I wasn't.

Don't get me wrong, you couldn't ask for a sweeter girl or a better friend, but I just didn't think about her in that way. My heart belonged to another. One Takeru Takaishi as you might have guessed. I figured that he had to at least be bi, there was no way the guy could have been straight, but he never seemed to be interested in me. Maybe he just didn't know that I thought about him that way, I don't know. Anyway, he didn't appear to be interested in me. But hey, a guy can still dream can't he?

All those times people thought that I was dreaming mindlessly over Hikari and being such a show off so that she would pay attention to me, in reality it was Takeru who I fantasized over and Takeru whom I wanted to notice me. I admit though to using Hikari several times, flirting with her to make Takeru jealous. But it never seemed to work…

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" he asked.

That snapped me out of my reverie. "Yeah…I can't, I have a big exam coming up and I need to be prepared for it."

"Well, all right…But I think you work too hard Daisuke."

"I have to Takeru. I want to get further than this in my life," I gestured at our present surroundings. "All I need is one case. Just one really big case and I can finally get my name out there."

"I hope it comes for you soon Daisuke," Takeru smiled again. "Well, I guess I should get going now…"

"Yeah…" I agreed. Was it my imagination or did it always come down to this kind of awkward parting when Takeru and I were together? With both of us being reluctant to leave the company of the other.

"Yeah…" Takeru was nodding, but neither one of us had done anymore, or said anymore than that. He didn't take any step in the opposite direction and I remained glued to my spot.

Maybe I had to make the first move to have any sort of relationship with him? Normally I would have already done so by now, but I was so scared of loosing his friendship, which was just about all that I had that was good in life. What if he didn't feel the same way about me? I really was such a coward…

So I gathered up my courage. "Hey Takeru…" He looked up at me with those big, blue eyes of his, so deep that you could almost drown in them and never want to surface. And there my courage failed me. Deflated like balloon. "I've really got to go now…I'll see you around I guess…"

"Oh sure," he sounded surprised, as if he had been expecting something else. Well, I had been expecting to tell him something else. "…Bye Daisuke."

I turned around and began walking quickly away from him. Yeah, I really was a huge coward…

* * *

When I stumbled into the police station Monday morning to begin my shift I was surprised to find the place hoping with unusual activity. I blearily rubbed my eyes and attempted to bring it all into focus, I just wasn't awake in the morning until I had that first strong cup of coffee.

People were running around in every direction, there were several men with note pads who appeared to be news paper reporters. Now that was curious. Something big must be going down, I thought. I made my way through all the mess and confusion to the private office of Koushiro Izzumi.

Koushiro was a great man, really smart, a top detective, he could have made much more money from specialized clients if he branched out on his own, not that he didn't make a good amount already, but he chose to remain with the police force, for which they were grateful because I doubt they could have ever found somebody else as good as Koushiro. He was one of the best there was and I was privileged to be learning from him.

Koushiro looked up as I entered the office, nodded his "good morning" greeting and then returned to pouring over the contents of a yellow police envelope and I knew then that whatever it was he had just gotten this new case. That excited me. When he finally looked up he seemed very disturbed.

"Something bad?"

"Whatever it is it's not good," he replied thoughtfully.

"What's going down?"

"You see these?" he spread out about five or six manila folders in front of me and I nodded. "Six people, six different reports. Five missing persons and one found dead after having been reported missing."

I blinked. All that in one night? "And even though I'm sure that it's there I haven't found anything at all that could connect any of them. One University girl, two men from a local bar, an office worker from the bank and an old, retired man."

"So…which one is dead?"

"The eighty year old man who has been identified as one Joseph Barlow from the downtown district." He leaned back in his chair and sighed. "I just don't understand it."

"Kidnappings right?"

"But for what purpose Daisuke is what I haven't been able to find." He threw up his hands in exasperation. "There's been no ransom…and I can't find a single connection! There's nothing to tie these people!" I remained silent. "All of them were reported missing between the hours of seven p.m. and four a.m. That's all there is to it!"

I'm sure you'll find it." I had complete faith that if these sudden "disappearances" were indeed connected that Koushiro would be the one to figure out the missing link. He only made a "hmph" noise. "So then what are we going to do about it?"

"Right now…we're going to take a ride and go get the coroner's report on the results of the autopsy they preformed on our friend old man Barlow."

I groaned and Koushiro chuckled. Dead people…and people who worked with dead people…creeped me out. But I nodded my understanding as Koushiro grabbed his coat and hat off the rack and then proceeded to follow him out the door. 

"What do you think Motomiya, are we all going to be doing a lot of over time soon?" he joked as we walked out into the madness that was the front office and were immediately assailed by the newspaper reporters and press figures.

* * *

I shifted uneasily as the police coroner Jaxom Benson gave Koushiro the autopsy report. I starred at the metal gurney which held the body of one Joseph Barlow, he was partially covered by a white sheet. Just looking at his cold, pale face made me shiver. Dead people really creeped me out. So did Jaxom Benson for that matter, it was hard to tell the difference between him and the stiffs that he worked with. I tried to take my mind off the body and turned my full attention back to Benson, boring as that was.

Oh great, now he was going to show the body to Koushiro and I was forced to watch and suffer. "You see here there are strangulation marks around his neck and the neck itself has been snapped and broken. There are several skull fractures and a few cracked ribs. But the most bizarre thing of all is…there's barely a drop of blood left in his body…"

"What?!" I looked up at him. "How can that be?"

"I'm not sure, its quite the mystery. There are no open wounds on him, only a small circular rash on his neck," Benson replied to my shock as if he were bored of the whole interview and found the fact that his patient stiff was blood drained before he even got near him no more interesting than a story on the evening news.

"Thanks for your help Jaxom," Koushiro shut the file folder containing the official autopsy report. "I don't know if this will give me any new lead but I'll certainly look into it."

Benson merely nodded in response. 

As Koushiro got back in the car I asked him what he thought our next move should be. 

"I'm not entirely sure," he replied carefully, but I could tell that an idea was formulating in his clever mind. "But I know that right now I'm bored out of my mind because of old Benson back there, and if you're not bored already, which would seem impossible after all of that, you soon will be."

"Oh?" I raised a curious eyebrow…it was a habit I had gotten myself into. "Why's that?"

He grinned devilishly at me. "Your University class starts in half an hour." I groaned and put my head in my hands and he merely laughed as he started up the car and proceeded to give me a lift to the school.

* * *

That night I had dinner with Taichi, Hikari, Takeru and Yamato. It was a nice pleasant evening at the Yagami house. After a good dinner when we all retired to the sitting room I told them about the new case over a bottle of wine. They were all very interested in it.

"I knew the girl who went to the University. She was really popular around there. Her name was Mimi Tachikawa. She was a good student, and a very intelligent person, but you wouldn't guess that by looking at her," Hikari told me. "She was male crazy and a real wild party type person."

"See now, a girl like that could be anywhere…ditching classes with some new boy toy, or at some new club…" I sighed in exasperation. "This really is hopeless."

"…How involved are you in all this Daisuke?" Takeru asked quietly.

"Not very…" I admitted.

"That's good." He looked down and I couldn't for the life of me tell what he was thinking. "I worry about you every time you're out there on some case with Koushiro, Dai. Its not safe."

"It's never been safe," I smiled. It was nice to know that he cared about what happened to me. "That's what I like about the job, the danger…the suspense…The thrill." Takeru looked up at me sharply.

"This isn't some game Daisuke! You could get yourself killed!"

"Relax Takeru, I take my job very seriously. You know me, I'll be careful. I'll be fine. Nobody has yet to get the best of Motomiya Daisuke!"

Everyone exchanged nervous glances and I wondered, not for the first time that evening, whey they were acting so strangely and being so concerned now. Takeru was practically coming unglued. Over some missing persons cases, I'd had a lot more dangerous assignments while working with Koushiro. A couple of times that evening during dinner I'd caught him watching me with something of despair and longing in his eyes. But that was just too strange…it must be my imagination again.

Taichi shot Takeru a look of concern and then looked me straight in the eyes. I'd never seen him more serious in his life. "Just…keep it that way Daisuke."

* * *

When I walked into Koushiro's office early the next day his chair was not turned to the door, but instead was facing towards the window and out on the city view. This was not an unusual behavior of Koushiro's. He often took in the sights of the city streets when trying to solve some problem, so I didn't think anything of it. And I was pretty sure after the way he had acted yesterday at the coroner's that he had found himself a lead.

"So what's on the day's agenda boss?" I queried jokingly. I didn't get any answer. Funny, maybe he was thinking so hard he hadn't heard me. "Koushiro, Earth to Koushiro." Still no response. "Boss, is something wrong?"

I crossed behind the desk to talk to him where I could see him. When I got there and saw him I dropped my coffee cup and it shattered into a million pieces on the wood floor. Sitting in his chair Koushiro had a look of unspeakable horror on his face. Protruding from his chest was a huge shaft of wood. There was a fancy envelope tucked into his hand and when I removed it another loose piece of scrap paper floated down with it.

I read the smaller of the two first. It was written in a scratchy, scarlet ink that I took to be dried blood. It nearly made me sick.

"If you know what's good for you you'll lay off this 

case. If not this death won't be the last."

The Count

The second envelope contained a note as well, and was written in a fancy, scrawling handwriting that I seemed to know from somewhere. 

"To Whom it May Concern,

Leave this case before more people must 

Suffer for your actions."

A Friend

* * *

After this recent occurrence the department wasn't about to dismiss the case. They were determined to put a new detective on it right away.

The murder of Koushiro Izzumi had shocked and infuriated many people, those who had known him well, and those that had only earned passing smiles from him on the street. I was beside myself with anger and rage. Because aside from being my instructor Koushiro had been my friend. I begged the department head to let me take up the case, inexperienced though I was, and to let me bring Koushiro's murder's to justice. To my surprise, they agreed. Maybe they thought that I knew enough about the case at that point to actually solve it, or maybe they thought that it was my right as a pupil and friend, but whatever the reasoning behind it I had the job.

So there I was late one night pouring through the files and stacks of paper that had been Koushiro's. I figured that he had to have been awfully close to discovering something important if someone wanted him out of the way. There were books, reports, interviews and newspaper reports all tied to this one big mystery. It looked like while I was at classes and being a dinner guest Koushiro had been busy. The more I read, the more confused I became.

There was a news paper article on the robbery of several blood banks across the city, a small news clip on the new ownership of a warehouse complex at the outskirts of town by a new company in overseas Romania. Of course I found the coroner Benson's report on Joseph Barlow, which turned out to be very intriguing once read. He had included several photo's of the damage to the corpses neck and had basically come to the conclusion that no human being could be as strong as to snap someone's neck the way that had been done. Interesting. There was a book that had been borrowed from the University library entitled "Ancient World Dark Creatures" with a marked section and a dictionary with a page marking where I found the word "vampire" defined.

As I read the dictionary definition…

vam · pire ( v**a**m' p**i**r' ) n. 1. A reanimated corpse held to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night. 2. One who preys on others.

…It all came together for me. All the "disappearances" occurring at night…all the blood drained from the body of Joseph Barlow and the super human strength required to crush his neck…Koushiro had been trying to suggest that this was the work of…vampires? I had never known him to be superstitious…

Further reading into the book of "Ancient World Dark Creatures" told me that vampires were believed to be killed only by a stake through the heart and were weak to sunlight. The note signed with "The Count", even I had read Bram Stoker's _"Dracula". _(A/N: Really good if you've never read it) The book also told that the legend of vampires was believed to have originated in Romania. That tied into the new warehouse complex in town. Pieces of the puzzle were falling into place rapidly.

But how far fetched did vampires seem? Even though it appeared to be the answer? I decided that the only way to find out would be to visit the warehouses purchased by the company from Romania at the outskirts of town…

* * *

The following day I bought myself a gun and several rounds as well as armed myself with some tent stakes that I had found in a pile of old things at a junk shop in town. I wanted to be prepared for anything…just in case.

I drove up cautiously, scoping out the area before I even got out of the vehicle. I made my way slowly up to the door watching every shadow, now I was starting to get paranoid. It was almost too quiet for my liking. I found that the heavy lock and chain on the door were undone and I inched the door open a hairs width at a time. I was grateful that the hinges didn't squeak and give me away…to anyone who might be here.

There were already some dim fluorescent lights on when I got in there, I suppose they left those on round the clock because so far as I knew it was only sunlight which was fatal to the vampires, not fluorescents. I turned my flashlight on anyway, just to get a better look around. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard a voice behind me.

"Daisuke!"

I dropped my flashlight and it skittered across the floor, its light swinging wildly in every direction. I pulled out my gun and spun around in the direction of the voice. I pointed my gun at a figure in the shadows. "Don't move," I ordered shakily.

The person took a step forward, regardless of the gun I had leveled at them. I nearly died of shock when I saw Takeru. "Takeru you nearly gave me a heart attack! What in God's name are you doing here? Are you following me? Don't you know this is dangerous, someone's already killed Koushiro!"

"Daisuke what does it matter what I'm doing here, what are you doing here?! You have to leave now! Before its too late! You already know too much, you…" he stopped talking and his eyes grew wide as a shaft of wood appeared to grow from his chest. 

Brighter lights flooded the room and I watched Takeru in shock. He was looking down at the shaft protruding from his chest in horror. And his eyes grew filmy. I was in such a stupefied daze that I almost didn't know what was happening. 

"Takeru! No!!!" I heard another voice cry out. I saw Yamato with a group of other people, one male and two females seemed to be the ones commanding the respect from the others. He tried to rush forward but the other man he was with held out an arm and stopped him. "What did you do?! Takeru!"

"You've been a danger to the band since you were changed Takaishi," the man with blue hair and glasses sneered. "Now you can't go making any more mistakes that might get us all killed. You're a traitor," he hissed.

"No! I wasn't…I was trying to make things right…I…" Takeru was swaying dangerously and when he fell I caught him in my arms. His beautiful blue eyes were glazed over with death. 

"Takeru…" I breathed. I didn't know what to say.

"…Daisuke. I'm…sorry…" he murmured with what little strength he had left. "I never…Daisuke I never drank the blood of an innocent…it damns you to the depths of hell…I never…" 

I could only stare at him in wonder. Takeru? How could Takeru be…? I parted his lips with two of my fingers and ran them down a pair of razor sharp fangs filled to the finest pin point. He gazed up at me in despair. I remembered how I had been seeing less and less of him and when I did it had only been at evenings. He and the others all appeared to have some secret from me…this was it?

"The blood bank robberies…" I frowned. Had that been Takeru? If he didn't drink the blood of humans…then he had to get it from somewhere…

He seemed gratified that I understood. "Daisuke…I'm sorry." There was blood coming from the corner of his mouth and a single tear trickled down his soft cheek. I held him protectively in my arms. "…I love you Daisuke, I'm sorry," he spoke in barely more than a whisper.

"Takeru I…" I was at a loss for words. I wanted to tell him that I understood and that it was all right. I wanted him to know that I loved him, but I had never been good at saying exactly what I felt or I would have said everything that roiled around in my mind at that moment.

"I love you…" And then his body just grew limp and faded away. I heard Yamato give a dry sob. 

"Takeru!" I cried. But there was nothing I could do. He was gone. I couldn't even leave him with a last bit of peace. I couldn't even find the words to tell him how I felt about him. I couldn't leave him with three simple words…

"How touching," the blue haired vamp was talking again. I looked up at him, pain blinding my vision and rage burning in my soul. "Only now at the very end do the two realize how much they meant to one another," he laughed. 

I was trembling with anger. "It would make a tragic story don't you think? If there was anyone left to tell it that is…"

Out of nowhere two vampires set upon me. Their claws digging painfully into my flesh, ripping and tearing me apart. Through the blood that dripped down in front of my eyes I could see Yamato try to move forward. I could hear him shouting and struggling against two other vampires.

"No! Stop now…please! Not Daisuke too…haven't you killed enough?"

I heard the blue haired vampires response. "Your brother was right when he said he knew too much. I can't afford to leave this one alive."

"Stop it please stop!" 

He sighed dramatically, as if Yamato was ruining all of his fun. "Oh very well…you can cease your efforts now boys." There was a stop to the violent attacking of the two vampires, but I almost didn't know when it had ended. I had gone numb for a while, I could feel the pain but it was so intense and lasted so long that it became a part of me somehow and living without it would seem strange. But now every part of me was beginning to burn. I was on fire with the pain.

"We'll leave now. He still won't live you know, he'll die from the loss of blood, there's nothing you can do."

They released Yamato and he made his way to me. I stared up at him in rare confusion on my part. "I'm not going with you," he spat at the one with the glasses. "You didn't retain a shred of humanity when you underwent the change Jyou."

"As you wish," the one I know knew was named Jyou shrugged.

The girl with the pink hair who had been by his side with the other girl with strawberry blond hair detached herself from him and made her way to Yamato. "…I'm…not going either."

Jyou glared at the pair of them, but then shrugged, as if it were of no concern to him. "Very well children, but you have picked the loosing side you know."

He left then. Along with all of the other vampires. I was dying, and I didn't care. At that moment I welcomed the release from the pain and the suffering. Whatever happened in my afterlife I wanted to be with Takeru and Koushiro and my family. I couldn't do anything for this case, even if I lived what could I tell the department? Vampires are the ones that have been doing all the abducting, so they could make more vampires? No one would believe me…there was nothing anyone could do. Maybe they might have listened to Koushiro, he was respected, but I'd be laughed out of my job. 

I felt the world around me growing dark. The blackness eased itself over my mind and took over control. I didn't fight it, I embraced it. I pulled back and let it take over, saying my silent good byes to this world and welcoming the next.

* * *

I was swimming in a sea of black…cold and dismal. A gray fog drifted around me as I did nothing but float there in the darkness. But then something light came. It grew lighter and I the world of darkness grew fuzzy and blurred. What was happening? 

I opened my eyes and blinked, sitting up as I did so. Where was I? What was happening? "So your awake…"

I looked around and saw Taichi sitting in a chair. I frowned. I wasn't dead? How could that be?

Hikari and Yamato entered the room and they looked relieved to see me up, but there was something sad about them, the way they moved and how they looked at me. "What happened?" I questioned. "I thought that…I thought I was dead."

"You are dead," Taichi told me.

"What?" I shook my head in confusion.

"Welcome to hell," Hikari whispered bitterly.

"I don't understand…" And then my eyes widened in horror. "You mean I'm…"

"A night creature?" Yamato sighed. "I'm sorry Daisuke, but I couldn't bare to see you in pain…"

"But I wanted to die!" I cried. "I wanted to just end it all, why did you save me? You haven't saved me! You've condemned me!"

"I'm sorry…" Yamato cried. "You were my friend, our friend…"

"Then as friends you should have done what was best for me, not what was worst for me!"

Hikari wrapped her arms around Yamato and hugged him as the tears streamed down his face. I hated seeing him sad, but he'd poisoned me with evil, tainted me with eternal darkness. 

"We are sorry Daisuke," Taichi murmured. "I know this changes everything for you…"

"This changes nothing," I growled. "I refuse to hide and cower from humanity, I'll keep what little I have left thank you."

"How?" Hikari asked.

"By helping people."

"But you can't when you're around humans the temptation is too strong. You can smell their blood, it will drive you crazy!" she told me.

"I'm stronger than you think Hikari. If I must live in darkness then I can give a little light to others and maybe, just maybe it will be my salvation."

"Then I guess maybe we can to," Yamato said quietly.

Taichi looked at him. "And just how do you propose we do that?"

"I was thinking…we've never taken the blood of a human, its wrong, its terrible…and maybe…maybe we can convince other vampires not to. We could find them and make our own family. We can do it…"

"I agree, your friend Daisuke's right. If we offer other vampires just the tiniest bit of light in the darkness, we could be saved too."

I saw the girl that had joined with Yamato at the warehouse. I knew that she was Mimi Tachikawa, one of the missing person Koushiro had been set to investigate on. She briefly at me and then put her arm through Yamato's. 

"We have to leave this city anyway," Taichi sighed. "We can't stay here. We'd be in danger, whether we drink the blood of the living or not."

"So we do go somewhere else. The vampire population will grow and if we can convince even four of them a year not to take human blood then that's good," Hikari said softly.

Taichi rolled his eyes. "Fine, if everyone else is in on this there's no way I'm going to say no. We'll find somewhere we can live peacefully, away from many humans, away from the suns light in the day. Somewhere nice and big and spacious…"

"Somewhere we can call our own," Hikari smiled.

"What about you Daisuke?" Mimi asked. "Are you with us?"

"No." They looked shocked. "I've got my own path to follow, and I've got to do it by myself. I'm going to be the detective I always wanted to be, and I'll fight those that stand against humanity. But I've got to do it on my own."

"Are you sure?" Yamato asked. "You won't reconsider?"

"Before he…died…Takeru told me that it would damn one to the depths of hell to drink the blood of an innocent. I believe him, and if it takes that to keep a vampire alive how would it make one feel to convert another to the evil?"

Yamato flinched and looked away from me. "You will not want to live with me Yamato, I can imagine that it would bring you too much pain. I would be a constant reminder of your sin. You shouldn't have sacrificed your own soul to save me." He didn't say anything, what could he say to that. To say that he didn't feel pain when he looked at me would be a lie. 

"We'll always be friends right Daisuke?" Hikari asked. 

"Of course we will," I replied gravely. 

"Promise that if you're ever in trouble you'll remember us?"

I was silent for a minute. "If I get myself into trouble I would not want to burden you with it Hikari."

"Don't be that way Daisuke," she begged me. "We want you to know that you can count on us to be there for you if you need the help. Please, promise me that."

"I promise," I agreed finally.

* * *

I also had to leave Manhattan. There were too many complications there, too many painful memories. There were many things that I had to do before I left though. I could not leave so many loose ends in my life. Before I went I had a gravestone made for Takeru and put it in a little cemetery not far from my old apartment. I did finish my law class at the University by changing them to the late night hours. I resigned from the Manhattan police force without having solved the case, advising them not to press it anymore.

I set fire to the warehouse owned by the company from Romania. And before I left I tracked down Koushiro's murder. Never would a vampire that wasted innocent blood be safe from me.

* * *

So there it is. My story. The story of my death and change into one of the undead monsters that roams the city street. Interesting huh? No, you couldn't care less I know. I didn't keep in touch with Hikari and the others. It was too painful for me. I know where they reside…and they do well. They kept true to their word and bought a large estate up in Maine where they do their best to recruit vampires from up and down the east coast and to keep them from killing. Of course Maine has never gotten so many blood bank robberies…

Maybe someday I will go back and see them. But I don't want to burden them with my life. So it began, and so it ends. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ken: _You went and made it a Daikeru?!!_

****

Dragon Lady: _…Not exactly…_

****

Ken: **!!!!!!!!**

Dragon Lady: _Ken watch your mouth!_

****

Ken: _…_

****

Dragon Lady: _Um…oh dear…I don't think he should be turning red like that…_

****

Ken: _…_

****

Dragon Lady: _Uh oh, its time for me to go now…_***starts to run away from crazed muse* **_I guess Ken really doesn't like that pairing…Um…read and review please!_

****

Ken: _Die fan fiction authoress! _

****

Dragon Lady: _Eeeeekkk! _


End file.
